Weight Watcher Breaking News!!!

Hello and welcome to this special addition of WeightWatchers news! We interrupt your normal broadcasting schedule to bring you news of an exciting new development in the Coylton branch on WeightWatchers, where it has just been announced that there is a new member of the team.

Miss Sarah Claire Conway (pictured) has been headhunted by leader Lee Hart for a place on her team, and sources say that the 25 year old weightwatcher has just accepted the contract!

"Sarah was a good candidate for the post", insider sources claim, "she is an outgoing and strong personality who comes across as friendly and approachable".

Although fairly new to the Coylton branch Sarah has been following the WeightWatchers plan for almost a year now, with mixed results. "Sarah has lost 1st so far, but recently she has fallen by the wayside a little, she gets frustrated when she doesn't see results quick enough and has had to overcome a number of challenges recently", reports a close friend.

The veteran WeightWatcher has remained at a steady weight for some time now, however she claims she still has almost 2 stone to lose before she gets to goal. Sarah has had to recently move from home (and her mother's cooking), setting up in rural East Ayrshire, to begin her new career. This has resulted in Sarah having to learn how to buy and cook plan friendly foods, work exercise into her new Mon-Fri 9-5 regime, negotiate the new found freedom of not working weekends and adjust to a new class with a new leader. But our insider source reports Sarah has settled in quickly:

"Sarah has always been chatty and bubbly in class, she always gives other members ideas and will contribute to all discussion topics." Although Sarah's weight loss may have stagnated recently, her close friends say that this may be the new motivation Sarah needs.

"Minutes after accepting the offer Sarah has facebooked and tweeted about it. She declared how excited she was, but also how nervous and she knows others will be looking to her for inspiration and advice."

Miss Conway was unavailable for comment today, following work, a trip to Asda, dinner (mushroom risotto!) and a 45min Zumba session. We'll hopefully bring you more on this story tomorrow, when we will be reporting live from Coylton WeightWatchers, to see how Sarah gets on with her 1st day.

Next, a story on how the online blogging community at weightwatchers.co.uk can make a big difference to your morale and motivation during your weight loss journey.

Motivation is a red maxi dress at a 30th birthday party!

Well despite losing a stone till now my recent plateau has resulted in the inevitable. I am NOT yet happy about the way I look. 


Thing is I know that I look more amazing now that I have for a very long time. And I know that my body shape and size is not, and probably will never, look the way that society perceives to be thepersonification of perfect. And honestly, I wouldn't want it to be.


The Beauty Myth, the inspiration for my blog, argues that society places pressure on women to look a particular way to keep us preoccupied, to keep us spending money, to keep us oppressed. 


Here I am, writing a blog instead of tidying my room (preoccupied anyone?) fully signed up to the weight watchers plan at a cost. Oppression.....well depression. 


It was my cousins 30th party on Saturday night. I wore a red, bright patterned maxi dress. Not going to lie, I would never have worn a maxi dress 6 months ago, they've never looked right on me because I seem to store the vast majority of weight around my middle. The polite term is apple shaped, I tend to use a word that WWers would certainly *** out, even if I put in a variety of symbols! The maxi was a necessity though, but my illness during the week meant I missed my tanning session (had visions of me suffocating in the booth...although at least I wouldn't look pale at the funeral!!) BUT I did dye my hair, make up was lovely, I felt generally great!


Then I went to the party, generally had a good time. Well as good a time as a single, pale, girl can be at a party with her family in attendance! Everyone there was a couple or related to me! But the girls...oh the girls! Skinny Minnies, Killer Heels, Legs up to their Armpits, (tanned), generally looking super amazing!


Wait a minute - I am 25!! I should BE one of those girls!!!!


So although I looked great, I didn't feel it. I felt clumsy, sore, fat and lumpy. Generally down in the dumps! Again.....as I used to do, at every party, at every night out, on every holiday!! I can't keep doing this....I CAN'T stay on this emotional roller-coaster that I've been on since I was about 20(ish......18 if I'm being honest!)


Time to get serious on this weight watchers palava!! Bingeing tonight....tomorrow is a new day, a new start...I am going to pretend that I am starting weight watchers as a brand new member tomorrow! I'm resetting to week one, going back to basics, and I will get to goal in 2012!!!!

Pet Peeves! (Friday theme on a Saturday...contraversial)

Having just read the friday themes of my two favourite bloggers, Tom and Cookielou, I was laughing out loud with a tear or two at the crazy things that people find annoying. Especially as I agreed with most of them!

It would easy to list a bunch of weight loss or food peeves. In fact, it would be most appropriate, given that this is a blog about weight loss and eating. But although the phrases "superfood", "superslimmer" and "miracle" are amongst my weight loss/food consumption pet peeves, I've decided to branch out a little and tell you a little more about me, and my pet peeves.

1. LATENESS, I get stressed when I am running late, tardy people are number 1 on my drop kick list. I am not saying I am never late, but its rare.

2. Bottled Water, I do drink it if I'm caught on the hop as I am one of these people who are always thirsty. But not only is the bottled water industry ruining our planet due to the vast quantitied of plastics needed, but it makes me sick to think of the $7billion a year spend on bottled water, when we literally have it on tap, were billions of people do not.

3. Ice Tea. On holiday - maybe. Here...no, its just wrong!

4. People who cut you up at roundabout, I think this is a jusitified pet peeve, as I have been in several near misses as a result. There is a CLEARLY painted lane...stay in the BLOOMIN' lane!!!

5. Reality Television Shows I don't believe this even needs a justification!

6. My women's mags, I still buy them. I state (out loud) every time that I cannot afford anything that's in them. £300 on jeans! I'm trying NOT to spend that on my holiday!!!

and finally

7. Plants They die on me.....every single time :(

40 pounds of commitment?

Well guys you may have saw from my update (if your my WWer friend that is) that this week I finally, finally, got a loss!

Not 40 pounds of course - a wee half a pound :D

Which in the past would have devastated me BUT as my two wonderful online buds; kalamity42 and saffrajay both pointed out at my last blog a huge part of this process is about POSITIVE THOUGHT!
I recently did a blog series ( I know I am a serious blogger) where I picked one negative thing in my life and tried to see the positive side of it, for example working in an office. I have just went back and re-read my blogs (something which I advised everyone to do!) and I do feel more positive for doing it.

Although completely loaded with the cold (again) this week, which means no running, I'm determined not to let this get me down. In fact I was so determined I pledged 40 pounds of commitment.

Well, my starting weight was 12st 13 and my goal weight is 10st.
Convert them into pounds: starting weight = 181pounds, goal weight = 140pounds. 181-140 = 41lbs!!

And how did I pledge those 40pounds....well I just purchased the weight watchers official food scales - at £39.95!

so I walk away equipped now to begin a whole new chapter of obsessive food habits lol! And I shall be weighing EVERYTHING.....

(I've had the scales for 10 mins and so far I've weighed; my watch, my box of hankies, my purse and 2 mug coasters...pretending that they are in fact pasta, rice, cornflakes and peanuts!!)

So I shall let you all know how the scales go - I think they will make a HUGE difference to my dinners, because my uncle cooks before I get in from work (which I know I shouldn't moan about!) but now I can put my plate on the scales and point as he piles the food on - meaning my dinner won't obliterate my dailies and eat into (eat into - see what I did there) my weeklies as well!!

I will report back!!!


also a p.s. thank you to mart who told me how to hyperlink, which I am now going to do in frivolous (also a small but impressive word) manner from all blogs herein!

Out of the Running?

Well a combination of a strained left thigh muscle alongside my annual January flu has meant that my activity points have fallen to the wayside. No zumba, no running, I struggled to walk to the shops today!

My hearings all fuzzy, my throat hurts and my nose is running! I'm telling you, I could track my illnesses, like clockwork!

Today however, in the spirit of little victories, I actually have 2 whole pps left over. The benefits of making up lunch the day before, had an amazing mixed raw veg salad with chicken and sweet chilli sauce! Delish!

Really stressful day at the office today though, so had to sacrifice some points for a small glass of wine tonight (its not even "Wine Wednesday" as Wednesday is affectionately called in our office), but needs must.

Short blog just to explain that I'm off to bed to snuggle up (to my ted - the dates not happened yet, I don't move that fast) watch some TV and die quietly! I have no idea how my WI will go tomorrow, after my disheartening STS last week i've been pretty demotivated this week, haven't reeeally watched what I've been eating!

But I have done a lot of thinking, I've thought about all the time I didn't stick to a diet, all the times I have came back to WeightWatchersers or SlimingWorld or ScottishSlimmers or EnterPostiveWeightLossCatchyTitleHere because I've gotten fatter and fatter and unhappier and unhappier! I cannot, in fact i will not, do that to myself again! I've spent too much time, money and energy on this plan and I intend to keep it going! So tomorrow at my class I am going to buy the WWer food scales and really pour a renewed vigor and energy into this plan, regardless of my result tomorrow night! I HAVE to lose 1 stone for Benidorm in May, and I NEED to get more body confident for all these new romances on my horizon and finally, i DESERVE to be happy with myself, and I KNOW that this is what I need to do!

Monday Night Reflection

I don't know what it is, I just find Monday's reflective. Possibly because I don't usually blog over the weekend which is when all sort of stuffs happen. By the time Monday's rolled round I've had time to think about things.

So to update you a little of my life. Again only had 1 alcoholic beverage over the weekend (strawberry moijito - one of my 5 a day, thank you very much). Instead of our usual crazy drinking sessions me and the girlies (minus one of my favs JoJo, which I was extremely upset about) headed out for a very grown up evening which involved dinner in a good restaurant (TonyRomas, if you haven't tried it you MUST GO!) and then coffee and gossip back at the delightful hostess and glamorous taxi driver Jennys! Well, when I say grown up, the 4 of us sat and completely ripped everyone around us apart, and men, and other people who weren't present, general rant and b-i-t-c-h session, t'was fabulous and exactly what I needed!

Dinner was awesome, Tony Romas is actually great for any WW because you order everything separate. So you choose chicken, steak or seafood (they do pastas and burgers n stuff too) then your sides. I had corn on the cob (and chips) but if I wanted to be really good I could have had 2 veggies!!

But tbh the real highlight of the weekend was getting out and chatting to the girls. I've been pretty low since my STS (again) last week and having my confidence knocked by some egotistical bar man who thinks he can drop women like hot potatoes whenever he feels like it! I felt fat and unglamorous! Now 2 of my girlies (that were out - JoJo I miss your face!!) have boyfriends, one is living with her man and they have been together a good long while, so really you never hear about him (LOL) whereas my other pal is still in the honeymoon phase, lovestruck, pierced by cupids bow (pass the bucket). The rest of us are single, some looking, some heartbroken and me...well I'm not letting one chef spoil my soup.

(see how I'm working those food puns in there...literately genius!)

So I signed up for online dating, what's the harm eh? I'll try it for a month an if I like it fine, if not fine. Well ladies - I have a wee cheeky date next week, and good looking prospects on a 2nd! Will keep you all informed!!

The thing about the whole weekend though is that I realised how much we (by we I mean ladies, although I am not generalizing I know there are always exceptions and boys feel free to comment because I can't talk for your species) define ourselves by our relationships.

I mean we define ourselves so much - race, colour, religion, sex (now now), occupation, age (and about 10 others that I had to fill in for my online dating "profile" which basically explained what I looked like, beside my photo...) so why is marital status so important. Why do we as women feel it is SO important to be in a relationship, of any kind. I looked round the table at my 3 best friends (JOJO!!!!) and I thought...we are a group of sexy, intelligent and generally all round awesome girls, and we've spent the last hour talking about men....its almost sad.

Then I read this:

I've never been married, but I tell people I'm divorced so they won't think something is wrong with me.
- Elayne Boosler

and I realised that being a single woman....is universal

Friday Blog: Movie of my life

I usually really enjoy the Friday theme blog, theme curtsey of ilovechoc1, although I don't really feel in the mood tonight I thought I'd give it a go! So Friday Theme: Movie of your life. Include details such as who plays you, your family, loved ones, and who directs?

My friends will laugh when they see this Friday theme, because one of Sarah's quotes is "my life could be a film". Usually because things happen that you just couldn't make up, I mean nothing extra-ordinary, nothing spectacular or unusual. Just things...and you think to yourself, a camera should follow me for moments like this!

Like the time I plucked up the courage to give my number (sober) to a guy I just met (also sober). Altho he would later mess me about something awful, so I think he shall be played by Hugh Grant. Looks like butter wouldn't melt, but will indefinitely be caught with half a dozen drunk girls at a party! 

Then there is my MENTAL family, my Dad (played by Jack Nicolson - funny yet can also be very serious) who doesn't stop talking, singing or whistling (even when there is nobody else there!) Who's incredible talent for driving my mother (Diane Keaton - classic beauty but doesn't take herself too seriously) to distraction is second to none. Think of the on-screen chemistry they have on Something's Gotta Give and you've got my parents to a T! I might add a mother who loves me more than anything in the world...but still sent me to school with a fractured wrist when I was 8...never forgetting that one!

Then my loveable lump of a big little brother who without I may never have survived my parents as relatively unscathed as what I have! Would have to be Jack Black - nuts, weird sense of humour and a love of rock music...plus some fly moves on the dance floor!

Then of course you have my gorgeous girlies - too many to name - but SATC cast Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kirstin Davis and Cynthia Nixon would definitely be drafted in (although they are NOT a patch on my girlies!!)

And finally, the starring role, the Oscar nomination, the juiciest role in the history of roles (me by the way, in case you were wondering) goes to....

Helena Bohen Carter...or course!!

What's not to love - she's individual, unique, interesting, versatile....

NOTHING like me!

But I would DEFINITELY want Tim Burton to direct the movie of my life...he is my all time favourite director. Apparently Tim and Helena are a package deal, so she's have to play me!

Oh buggar...I'll need Johnny Depp in there too then...He can play my boyfriend (so we may not last to the end of the film...but I'll get to snog him for 3 1/2 years 1st!!)

The Beauty Myth - Relived! [Edit Blog details] Write a Blog post Weight Watcher Community I NEED you!!!

I am one extremely unhappy weight watcher!!!!

STS.....AGAIN! In fact I just checked my log and I have been the exactly same weight I am right now since.....wait for it.....the 24th of NOVEMBER!

Now, staying the exact same weight over the Christmas period was fabi dab! I was more than happy with that result, "super excited", to quote myself! BUT I ate and I drank and I did noooo exercise over the festive season so really strictly speaking this should have been like week 1 all over again! Don't get me wrong I wasn't looking for a 5,6,7lb loss like some of the new members in our class (way to go girls!) but I thought 2-3lbs off was reasonable. ESP as I tracked, had NO nights out and have went RUNNING 4 TIMES THIS WEEK!

Ok, ok I will now withhold from CAPS, bold and unnecessary !!!!'s.

So wtf is going wrong? Well, today's class topic was about portion control. And tbh that is probably an area where I may have slipped somewhat in recent months. That and maybe not being 100% honest, not deliberately trying to keep points low (lets face it the ONLY person I am kidding is myself...) but genuinely forgetting to add my margarine, or the oil I used to cook!

I have spent £60 since Nov the 24th on membership....to STS, not on your nelly! My first reaction - after I broke down in the community center car park having kept it in for my whole meeting - quit!!! Just throw in the towel and admit defeat. My body wants to be 12st5lbs, why fight it.

Or....fight it? I am a giver upper guys! I am good at lots of things, and I stick at those things. Anything hard, anything that I can't do,...I don't do it! This shouldn't be hard, I'm just following a plan, following steps, why can't I get this into my little podgy head.

Motivation this week..... -4!

But here I am, blogging....hoping against hope that one person on here will say something that will click, will switch on my Edison, give me my eureka moment....

no pressure guys!

Selfish Men, Self-Indulgant Weekends and Blue Monday

So I get in after a really difficult day at work (phew don't call it Blue Monday for nothing) to find homemade macaroni cheese ala my uncle. As amazing as it was to have dinner on the table, I saw the blue topped milk out and a large chunk of cheese missing from the fridge (oft!) no idea what's in it, no way to point it! Cherry on the cake of what WAS a 10/10 motivation week.

Amy Whinehouse on without a degree of thought...I a sad (emotionally, not because I am listening to Whinehouse...who is a genius!)

The spark of romance has failed to ignite. Well, failed to ignite by a distinct lack of fuel and attention (texts or calls). Don't get me wrong - he messed up as much as I did last weekend, but since then complete radio silence. No explanation, no conversation, nient! What **** me off most tho, was how he made me feel.

For anyone that read my bloggy blurb in the top right corner will see that my blog is titled after a famous feminist novel. In fact I am feminist! I believe in feminist principals (yet still suffer through diets and disdain!). When this guy did this to me, I felt....inadequate.

Am I too fat? Not pretty enough? Boring? What's wrong with me????

This weightwatcher journey was partially sparked by the break up of my long-term boyfriend (who for the record - loved EVERY inch of me - even at my heaviest!! and I'm not just saying that because he reads my blog) and I was thrust in to the cold, cruel world of dating. Where you are judged on your looks, on the 1st few minutes of a date, on every word, every gesture, on everything! In this every increasingly pejorative society that we inhabit, I find myself back to the uncomfortable position I was in 6 months ago.

I may not weigh 13stone anymore...but I feel like I do....and I hate myself for doing it!

So this weekend, I stayed in. I didn't talk to friends, didn't go out dancing, didn't venture over the door except to the station bar with my Dad to watch the Rangers and up to my Granda's to clean up. And I loved it! I LOVED it! Just me and my parents (and bro), no one to judge, people who loved me, no expectations.

It was a very blue Monday when I had to leave....

Post Christmas Weigh In!

So went to my 1st weight watcher meeting since the week BEFORE Christmas. The way my working week worked pre-holiday festivities and then a fallen tree last week meant it has been 4 WEEKS since my last weigh in. Over that 4 week period there has been Christmas, New Year, several nights out (which is enevitable followed by several hangovers...carb city!), there was lunch with old friends, dinner for birthday's, leftovers, snacks and a general over abundance of all types of food everywhere I looked!

The result......STAYED THE SAME!!!! RESULT!

In fact I am sure that scale was wavering more towards a 1/2lb loss...but alas!

I am so super thrilled at the result. There were a lot of new members at the class this week and our leader asked us veterans how we had got on. I was honest, I told her that I indulged, that I thoroughly enjoyed my festive season as all of us did (fat, thin alike) I said but something somewhere must have gotten stuck in the furthest regions of my brain, because I was obviously doing something right :)

Hints and Tips for the newbies - get organised, make lists and have fun! Works for me!!

So off I go with my 10 out of 10 motivation! Looking at my sad wee graph (picture provided) I've pretty much plateaued for the last few months (that giant blip in the middle was my holiday!!) so it's time to track track track, weigh weigh weigh, move move move and lose lose lose!

Well people...it's official...I made my first EVER pot of soup. A recipe from fellow online WWer - 0pps spicy vegetable soup. That is my lunch, along with a brown roll with either wafer thin chicken or ham and salad leaves for the rest of the week. (I also bought some low, already sliced cathedral city cheese, I know that it costs more to buy it already cut but it stops the "oops I seem to have cut a big chunk of cheese off the block!" shenanigans lol)

So my Asda trip went well. I took my "plan-friendly" list and never bought anything that wasn't on it! Organisation is the key.

Got my weigh in tomorrow...1st one since waaaay before Christmas. Couldn't get there last week because the road was closed. You'd think i'd be pleased that I accidentally ended up with an extra week with which to be very good and shift some Christmas poundage. But I'm more nervous, I think I would rather have known what the damage was so that I could get into the right frame of mind to fix it!

One positive aspect is the office girls. All the chocolates and cakes and biscuits are gone. We are swapping healthy eating ideas and encouraging each other AWAY from the bakers across the roads (oh the traybakes!). I'm also on week 2 of my running and determined to keep it going!

This is definitely the time to make WWers my own. I felt amazing when I had on my little dress last weekend, and in my mind I'm still 2 stone overweight! Think how amazing I am going to be/look/feel when I hit goal.

For me though, the biggest positive is not just the weight loss. But I'm learning value lessons and skills about food and cooking that I didn't have before. As a young woman who is on the cusp of flying the nest completely (currently flat hunting - nightmare) these are skills that I need. That will ensure I will stay healthy for the rest of my life!

I'm Alive :)

Barely but I am alive!

Never got weighed in because of falling trees and then after a 3 day working week (some of went back on the Wednesday, cookielou!) I was home again.

I didn't really overindulge with alcohol over Christmas, not by my usual standards anyway... and was really looking forward to a night on the tiles with the girls...esp as I look super hot (see photo...if you've managed to take your eyes off it!).

Esp as I am suffering from the dreaded "session depression"...for all you non drinkers (or non-over-indulgers, non-get-smashed-on-a-regular-basisers and non-binge-drinkers) session depression is the result of a hangover. Combined with the knowledge that you did crazy mental and downright stupid things the night before.

I am terrible for session depression, namely because I am a terrible drunk :s my friends who have known me a long time put up with crazy Sarah. Because they know deep down I am a loving caring generous person who really does love them and doesn't mean anything she is saying/doing/thinking/splurging/reacting when drunk!

New guy....met crazy Sarah on Saturday night....may have burned my bridges there....(*!0**??#!?!)

So new Monday, **** day but opted for a run rather than a glass of wine :) just read through all your beautiful people's blogs and the positive energy is amazing. Hopefully by tomorrow the last of the homemade moijitos will have left my system and I will perk up.....fingers crossed!

5 WHOLE points!?!

Ok, so the new back-to-basics approach that I have adopted - assisted by the bakers boycott we are having at work (the tray bakes in that place are un-fucking-believable) means that I have been super good the last 2 days.

Remember all that moaning I did about only having 27pps a day and not being about to keep any for nights out. Well the last 2 days not only have I stayed within my allowance...I've had some leftover. This isn't intention: I believe in the science of WW and I don't believe that eating 20pps will make me skinner than eating 27pps (I'd prob be ill and suffer from malnutrition). I've just been choosing much better that usual, take today for example:

BRK: oats so simple (3pps) and my daily milk allowance (2pps)

LUNCH: Medium portion of home made tuna pasta (7pp)

DINNER: Homemade cottage pie (10pps)

TOTAL: 22PPS!! Leaving me with a whole 5pps and no real inclination to eat anything else (although I have just remembered I have some strawberry cheesecake haggen-daaz in the freezer.....mmmm.....) However, my realisation was how much I moaned and went on about and moaned and (you get the picture) having a whole 2pps less a day! New Year - Fresh Eyes - New Way of Thinking!

Also ran twice this week (forgot my zumba - have to get it from home 1 this weekend) and I've booked in my 3 runs for next week!

Resolutions are looking pretty shiny right now eh!!

Hi Ho Hi Ho...It's back to work I go!

Well folks my festive season is drawing to a close today...back to work tomorrow (that is providing that the coastal roads open up and I make it back to Ayrshire...which is not looking good right now!)

Things have worked out really well for me in terms of getting me back on track. I start work again tomorrow and all the girls have said that we're healthy eating together. So all the biccies and chocs are getting thrown/given away. I'm fine when there is a biscuit tin...until someone else goes into it - hold me back! I also get weighed in tomorrow, so all in all it'll be a brand new start!

To go along with my brand new start - and to kick resolution number 1's butt (see previous post) - I am going right back to basics on the WW plan. Week 1 stuff! I'm going to weigh and count everything because I really don't think my brain has been retrained yet! I don't care how OCD I look - if I'm going to stick this out in 2012 (and pay the money for it) then I am going to do it right!! Me and my 27pps are going to be like best friends!

I also found the WW calculator app for Blackberry (FINALLY) so that means no more bad buying decisions at a famous supermarket (ding ding!) whose frozen lunch time snack points seemed like a great idea....average pp value of about 10!!!!!! 

Right now I am printing out my point friendly shopping list and some soup recipes as 0 point soup seems to defo be the way to go for lunch time! Dinner is hard because I live with my aunt and uncle, and when my uncle is home he cooks and has dinner ready before we get in from work (I know its great), so when he is home I aim to keep pps to a minimum during the day to allow for some evening meal guesstimations!

Exercise is going well - I have ZUMBA'D everyday since I got my new toy for the Wii! <3 IT!!! And I am all booked into the local leisure center to start my C25K plan!

Day 3 of 2012 and it's going great! Looking forward to getting back on track (and too work if I am honest...tres bored) tomorrow!

Hello 2012! Resolution Time

me and my bestest!

I love new year resolutions! I do! It's all about hope and big ideals for your life and wellbeing. Ok, so maybe they don't last....but the thought is there! And that's what New Year's is all about - hoping that the coming year is going to be better than the last.


2011 was a pretty great year for me, despite the downs. Let's face it every year is going to be up and down regardless of what you wish for. Last night I spent New Year with my best friend (mug shot above), her husband and son. Small, intimate party and I had a total scream. One of the highlights (apart from mother and son cereal box game to the death) was when we wrote our 2011 regrets down and sellotaped them to the fireworks, 2 minutes before the bells we fired them off into the night. Then we wrote down our 2012 wishes and 2 mins after the bells fired them off in an array of colourful sparkles against the jet black (and pouring with rain) backdrop. It was an amazing moment - and that wish, that resolution, is just for me - and I'll let you all know when it comes true :)


But I always have LOADS of resolutions. Some people say you should only make one and focus on it for the whole year; I am more of a divide and conquer kinda gal. So I make lots (in a prioritised list) in the hopes I'll stick to one! 


So 2012 is the year I am going to:


1. GET TO GOAL! Yes this is it - no more whinging and moaning - this is the year I am going to get to 10st and look fab-u-lous! I'm even going back to week 1 WW plan and starting fresh, time to retrain the brain.


2. GET FITTER! We know it - to lose the weight for good we have to exercise, not much else for it. I got zumba fitness for my Christmas for the Wii, between that and following the C25K plan (see my group Couch Potato to 5k if you want to join me) I will be a lean mean latin dancing machine (that can run for more than 10secs)!


3. SMOKING! My appointment for the doctor is set, my next holiday with smokers isn't until May, so hopefully I'll be off it enough to not want to go back on it. The reason I've put it as a 3 is because I am not smoking that heavy during the day (drinking is when I am bad) and I am hoping as a natural getting fitter process happens the urge to smoke will lower...but I'm not putting untold pressure on myself. Hence the 3 rating.


(now it gets silly)
4. LEARN TO SKI! I used to ski with my Dad when I was little but when his knees got bad and we stopped going. I really enjoyed it so I fancy picking it up again - there is a ski slope (with snow) in Glasgow so I am going to inquire about lessons this week :)


and finally....
5. KEEP POSITIVE and SLOW DOWN! I make the first one every year, but I think its really important. Not just in my work, but life too. I can be a really negative person, fear the worse, assume the worse and work myself up into a frenzy before anything has really happened. I can be critical (esp of myself but also of others) and sometimes I need to remind myself that everything can be turned into a positive, no matter how bleak the outcome may seem at the time.


The second bit I've added for this year, following my inspiration trip to Thailand. Life, relationships, work, friendships, familyships, losing weight, gym, meetings, outings, shopping, driving, eating, sleeping....getting up the next day to do it all again. OFT! Don't get me wrong I like to be busy, and to tell you truth I have been super bored being off my work this long (which my bank manager will verify - sales....) BUT what I learned in Thailand, amongst other things, is that sometimes you have to slow down, stop even, just for a little while, a moment of your time out of your otherwise chaotic day...and just look at the beauty and calm and still around you, say thank you to the world for its colours and smells, thank you for all the wonderful things and people in your life and thanks that life really is not that hard when you think of others. 


Happy New Year Everyone!